Query: NC_016938:136331 Melissococcus plutonius DAT561 chromosome 1, complete genome
Lineage: Melissococcus plutonius; Melissococcus; Enterococcaceae; Lactobacillales; Firmicutes; Bacteria
General Information: Causative agent of European foulbrood. Insect pathogen. Anaerobic or microaerophilic Gram-positive bacterium. European foulbrood is a disease of honeybee larvae, caused by the bacterium Melissococcus plutonius. It is found on all continents where bees are raised and an economically important disease in many honey-producing countries. Infected larvae usually die rapidly when they are 3-5 days old and in severe cases entire colonies can be lost.
Subject: NC_015662:385461 Buchnera aphidicola (Cinara tujafilina) chromosome, complete
Lineage: Buchnera aphidicola; Buchnera; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: It is believed that the Buchnera provide the essential nutrients the host lacks. Besides a nutritional co-dependence, due to a co-existence of millions of years, Buchnera have lost the ability to produce cell surface components such as lipopolysaccharides. This makes for an obligate endosymbiont relationship between host and Buchnera. Buchnera are prokaryotic cells which belong to the gamma-Proteobacteria, closely related to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Phylogenetic studies using 16S rRNA indicate that the symbiotic relationship was established around 200-250 million years ago. Since Buchnera are closely related to Escherichia coli and Haemophilus influenzae, comparative genomic studies can shed light on the evolutionary mechanisms of intracellular endosymbiosis as well as the different underlying molecular basis between organisms with parasitic behavior and symbionts.